Know Thy Enemy
by milla579
Summary: While Caroline has a life-changing decision to make, a threat is everywhere. In New Orleans and Mystic Falls, everyone's life is changing. *Sequel to Friend or Foe.* WARNING FOR VIOLENCE.
1. Chapter 1

**I don't own anything TVD or TO related.**

**I started this story just to play around and I liked it. And I wondered what could happen next. So, this is for those that wanted the story to continue. Three or four months have passed since Friend or Foe ended. By the way, Haley is in the story, much to my regret, but I might play around with her character a little.**

**Happy Reading!**

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**Chapter 1**

He couldn't find a way to be with her, all hope was lost. It was their fault. They had destroyed any chance that he had to reach her, to be with her and now, he was in purgatory hell. Since that was the case, they were going to suffer like he was. They would feel the pain of never being with the one they love. The agony of searching for many years to find her, the one that he was meant to be with, only to lose her. He was going to make them feel every emotion that he was feeling. He felt anger, wanting to lash out at those around him at the injustice. He felt despair, the hopelessness that never ended. They were responsible for the anguish and they would pay for his torment. He would make their lives the hell that he was living.

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**New Orleans**

The house was nested in the bayou, not far away from the city. Three vampires entered the abandoned house as they looked behind them to see if they were being followed. As they entered the room, the smell of blood enticed them. A lone human female was being fed on by the vampires who had kidnapped her right off the street. Diego entered the room with a frown as he shook his head. So impatient, he thought. "I thought I told you to wait until the sun goes down before you do any hunting. We don't want to draw any attention."

The vampires looked up from their meal with annoyance. Diego didn't really blame them, he understood. The city used to be at their disposal, their own personal playground until the original family and the witches killed Marcel. Now, they had to be discreet with their hunting.

One young vampire walked to stand with Diego. "Maybe we should find new territory." They were all frustrated, angry that their home had been taken over.

Diego leaned in close. "This is our home and we're going to fight for it." Marcel had taught him well, he wasn't going to give up so easily. The survivors were looking for leadership, someone to come up with a plan. Diego was going to make sure they looked to him. How were they going to get their territory back, though? Everything had changed. His sire, the king of New Orleans was dead. Their legendary parties in the Quarter had been put to an end and the witches were no longer bowing down in fear. The control the vampires had over the city was gone, and the original family was giving the orders now. The hybrid couldn't be killed, so they decided to do the only thing they could and get rid of the witches.

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The moon shined bright, creating pockets of light to counter the darkness. The vampire flashed down an alley, looking over his shoulder with fear. He moved quickly around a corner as he tried to put as much distance between himself and the shadow that was following him. As soon as he left the house, he could sense he was being followed. They had been warned but Diego was cocky, as if he were invincible. Diego was acting just like Marcel had, confident that he could take on anyone. They hadn't learned anything in their defeat months ago. Well, he had learned his lesson the first time he had been on the receiving end of the hybrid's rage. He knew what would happen if they tried to take on Klaus, they would all end up dead. As he turned down another alley, the fog cleared to reveal two figures standing in his path. His breath stopped as he recognized Klaus and Elijah Mikaelson. He starting breathing again, heavy with fear and anxiety as he stepped closer.

"You have information for us, Jerry?" Elijah asked. Klaus stayed quiet with his hard eyes focused on him. Jerry nodded as he cleared his dry throat. Whenever he was around Klaus, his palms would sweat and he could barely look his way. Jerry had almost been killed by the hybrid once, and the experience had left him terrified to every cross him.

"They're going after those two witches again. The powerful ones. They want to keep the witches of New Orleans in fear. The survivors of Marcel's army would follow Diego if he could get the witches under control." Klaus flashed and occupied Jerry's space. The young vampire jumped back so fast, he fell into the garbage cans that was standing behind him. Elijah looked around the alley to see if anyone had heard the loud bang, before turning back to observe his brother. Jerry shivered with terror, breathing heavily as he got back to his feet.

The moon shined on Klaus, highlighting his striking features and commanding presence as he glared. "When?"

"In a couple of days." Jerry decided to look at Elijah as he spoke, it was easier to get the words out.

Klaus growled with rage. "I suggest you leave town for a while. They won't be here when you come back."

He nodded, before flashing away in relief. In order to survive, Jerry needed to be on the winning side, which was why he would stand with Niklaus Mikaelson.

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**Mystic Falls**

Caroline pulled up to her childhood home and turned the car off with relief. Her vacation had finally begun. Her first semester in college had been grueling. The classes, studying into the late night and just the responsibility that came from officially being on her own. As she walked the path to her home, she couldn't help it, she was proud of herself. Caroline had doubted whether she could do it, heck even her own mother wondered if she was college material. She had proven everyone wrong, even herself. As she was smiling with her thoughts, the door opened and Sheriff Forbes stepped on the porch with a proud smile. They hugged tight as if months, not just weeks had gone by.

"I'm glad you're here. The house has been so empty with you gone."

"It feels good to be home."

Caroline smiled as she opened the front door and the comfort of home engulfed her. Everything was the same, she thought as she walked around the house. The dorm at college was nice, but it was always good to come home and sleep in her own bed. Since she shared a room with Elena, Caroline had to deal up with Damon coming and going like he owned the place. Whenever she could, she spent time with Stefan to gain peace of mind and to start her training. Caroline was able to learn pretty quickly using weapons, but the hand to hand combat was hard to grasp. It gave her an excuse to keep Stefan occupied, though.

The first weeks of freedom for Stefan had been hard, nightmares and panic attacks occurred often. He seemed to be in his own personal hell as he fought to return to his life. We were still in shock to discover Stefan was Silas's doppelganger, something Stefan didn't talk much about it, almost in denial. Silas had disappeared the night Stefan had been found and he hadn't been seen since. Everyone was anxious as they waited to see what Silas would do next. He had failed to destroy the Other Side and Katherine had been forced the cure, which Caroline thought was poetic justice.

If Silas was anything like Katherine, that wouldn't be the last Stefan sees of him. Stefan moved into a place in town to gain some distance from Damon and Elena as well as to try and protect them. Silas resented the freedom Stefan had, while he had been held captive for two thousand years, and Stefan was more worried about what Silas would do to his friends and Damon than himself. As always, he was thinking of others.

Liz stood at the door to her room as Caroline unpacked, watching silently. "I made dinner. I thought we could sit down together."

Caroline looked over with a smile of surprise. "I need to be away more often if you're going do the home-cooking thing." She tossed the empty suitcase to the floor as Liz pulled a package forward that had been hidden behind her.

"This came in the mail yesterday." Liz looked worried as she handed it to Caroline. "It's from New Orleans." Caroline met her mother's gaze, before looking away in panic. She hadn't talked much about her trip or her kidnapping, whatever one could call it. It wasn't too hard deflecting the questions since everyone had been so worried about Stefan. Caroline had only told them about Davina, how they'd rescued her and helped Sophie's coven defeat Marcel. She had been pretty vague about the time she spent with Klaus. Rebekah had kept her mouth shut, but she gave Caroline knowing glances whenever they were together, which wasn't often since Caroline was away for college. Although it still pained her that Bonnie was a ghost, Caroline had dodged and ducked Jeremy whenever she saw him. When she first came home, she had been worried that Bonnie had told Jeremy about Klaus's kiss. But Jeremy hadn't said anything, so she assumed Bonnie hadn't either.

Caroline cleared her throat, avoiding her mother's searching eyes as she laid the package aside. She didn't know if she was ready to talk about what happened between her and Klaus while she was in New Orleans. She knew she would have to deal with it eventually, to confront whatever she felt for Klaus, but she was afraid of the consequences. Caroline could lose her friends and Tyler if they discovered that she cared about Klaus. She didn't know if she could deal with the pain of that. Liz was still standing at the door as if she wanted to say more, but chose to stay silent. She gave Caroline a look of speculation as she walked away.

Caroline exhaled as she glanced at the package out of the corner of her eye. She couldn't help herself, she was curious. They hadn't talked much, just exchanged texts and short phone calls every now and then. Caroline got the feeling Klaus was trying to give her space, though he would send small gifts as a reminder that he was thinking of her. He would always send them here, never to her dorm at Whitmore. It might have kept Elena from discovering that things had changed between her and Klaus, but her mother was here to see them coming. They were small things, art that Klaus drew for her, a scarf he thought would complement her or just a letter, trying to stay in contact.

Caroline sighed heavily, unsure of how to handle this. She knew this couldn't go on forever, she needed to make a decision about what to do. As she considered each path she could take, she knew someone would be hurt. There was one thing she was certain of, she wanted Klaus in her life. That alone, was going to cause problems. Caroline had finally heard from Tyler a few weeks after she came back from New Orleans. He came home soon after, but she had been away at school, so any time together had been short and far between. With Tyler adjusting to being home, they hadn't had much time to discuss their on and off-again relationship. Tyler would never accept Klaus as her friend, much less anything else. And Caroline didn't want to even imagine Elena's reaction, although Klaus did come through for Damon not too long ago.

Caroline huffed with frustration as she grabbed the package to appease her curiosity. As she pulled the wrapping away, she discovered a small brown frame. She turned it over and froze in surprise. It was a portrait of her as she stood on a balcony. The sun was shining down on her as she was looking away into the distance, smiling with serenity. Caroline's stomach tightened with nerves and her palms begin to sweat as she remembered the moment, right before Klaus had stepped out to join her to look at the city. She closed her eyes as memories came rushing back. Damn, he surprised her again.

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Caroline was quiet at dinner, ignoring the looks she was getting from her mother. She was hoping to finish quickly and hide out before Liz started the mother-daughter bonding talk. Too late, she thought as Liz cleared her throat, before she looked directly at Caroline.

"So, the gifts that are coming from New Orleans, are they from Klaus?" Liz's eyes were tight with worry as she jumped right into it.

Caroline swallowed the lump stuck in her throat, looking away as she thought of what to say. She opened her mouth to respond, but from her mother's expression, she had already answered the question without saying a word. Liz was worried before, now fear filled her eyes as she started shaking her head. "Please tell me that you're not dating Klaus."

Caroline gave a nervous laugh. "Dating, Mom?"

"Hooking up, friends with benefits, whatever you kids call it now days." Liz waved her hand, her anxiety raising as Caroline avoided answering.

"No, Mom. We're not dating or any of the other things you mentioned." Caroline decided not to freak her mother out by telling her about Klaus's vow. She smiled at her mother's attempt to sound cool as she tried to think of something to change the subject.

"Then why is he sending gifts?" Liz wasn't going to let it go, she seemed determined to find out everything.

Caroline shrugged her shoulders as she got up from the table. "He's just being nice."

"Nice? Klaus and nice doesn't fall in the same sentence, Caroline." Liz followed her daughter into the living room. "What, are you two friends?" Liz sounded as if she was going to laugh off the question, but she caught Caroline's wince and stopped in her tracks. "Oh my god, you are."

"Mom, calm down." Caroline huffed a breath and decided to get it over with. "Yes, we're friends."

"Friends? You're friends with Klaus after everything he did?" Liz slowly shook her head in confusion. "That still doesn't explain why he's sending gifts. What, is he trying to woo you or something?" Again, Caroline didn't need to answer because it was written all over her face.

Caroline tried to deflect as she snickered. "Woo? That's a little old-fashioned, isn't?"

"He is, isn't he?" Liz's eyes were wide as she processed the news.

Caroline sighed with eyes closed, if her mother was having problems with her friendship with Klaus, she couldn't imagine what she would say if she knew everything else. The way he made her feel, the desire that she finally admitted to herself that she felt for him, and the resolve to have Klaus in her life, even if they were only friends. There was a knock at the front door, as her mother continued to shake her head with disbelief. Caroline breathed with relief as she rushed to the door to evade any more questions. At first, she didn't see anyone, but she turned and saw a shadow out of the corner of her eye.

As the shadow stepped closer into the light, Caroline inhaled with surprise. "Tyler?" And from the look on his face, he had heard everything that was just said. Caroline had just jumped from the frying pan, right into the fire.

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**I'm still putting the story together, so please have patience. I hope to update soon. I welcome any reviews, good or bad. Thanks for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

**I don't own anything TVD or TO related.**

**Thanks to all who read and reviewed (as well as favorite and followed).**

**Happy Reading!**

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**Chapter 2**

**Mystic Falls**

"Tyler?" Caroline stepped onto the porch with caution. After her experience with Silas, she had a right to be concerned. Right now though, a small part of her wished it was Silas, so she didn't have to witness the betrayal on Tyler's face. He had heard everything, she could see the knowledge in his eyes. She bit her lip with regret as Tyler continued to look at her like she was a stranger.

"You're friends with that bastard after everything he did to me?" Tyler's eyes narrowed with fury, he took a step back as if he couldn't be close to her.

"Tyler, let me explain-" Caroline hesitantly spoke, not sure how to handle this. Caroline didn't want to lie to Tyler, she had too much respect for him. She looked away from the anger and pain that Tyler was expressing. This was not the way Caroline wanted Tyler to find out, but to be honest, there wasn't a right way to tell him. What could she say? Any reason that she could give for being friends with Klaus sounded selfish and insane after everything that had happened. Caroline decided to be honest and suffer the consequences.

Caroline took a deep breath. "Yes, we're friends." She could see that she was hurting him, like each word was a knife to his heart. She tried to step closer, but he moved away in disgust.

"I can't believe you just said that. He gave you a few kind words and you fall for his crap. Klaus manipulates and uses people to get what he wants. We all know what he wants from you, Caroline and it isn't your friendship." Tyler was pacing as he spat out his feelings.

Caroline was quiet, but inside she was a little insulted, even though that was something she couldn't help but worry about. The thought that a man would only want one thing from her, that Klaus would only use her. Klaus had lived for over a thousand years and certainly had experience, one in particular that she didn't really like to think about. Whenever Caroline would let herself go there, imaging what it would be like to be with Klaus, there were all these doubts she seemed to have. Would she ever be able to completely trust Klaus? How could small-town Caroline be enough for an all-powerful original? She shook her head, hating herself for even thinking about Klaus when Tyler was standing in front of her, hurting.

"Tyler, I love you, more than you will ever-"

"Do you have feelings for him?" Tyler cut her off, not wanting to hear declarations of love. Caroline stared, at a loss for words. She didn't know what she felt for Klaus, she just knew he was a part of her life now and there wasn't anything she could do to change that.

Tyler took her silence for confirmation. As he turned away, Caroline moved quickly to stand in front of him. "Tyler, please listen-"

"Did you sleep with him?" Tyler asked.

Caroline drew back as if she'd been slapped, she could accept his anger, and she could even understand the disgust. But what she couldn't believe was the mistrust that Tyler had in her. Yes, Klaus had kissed her, but she hadn't returned it, though she often wondered what she would have done if he hadn't pulled away. While Tyler had been gone, even when they hadn't been together, Caroline had been faithful to him. She had always felt guilty for any feelings or thoughts she might have towards Klaus, but she had never acted on them. Now, Caroline was the one that stepped away.

"How could you ask me something like that? Don't you know me at all?" Caroline couldn't help herself, she was hurt by his assumption.

Tyler scoffed as he shook with rage. "I thought I did. For someone who claims to love me, how could you want to be friends with Klaus? The man who killed my mother, the man who destroyed all our lives. Now, after all that he's done, you consider him a friend and probably have feelings for him, since you didn't answer the question." Tyler stared in her eyes, almost pleading for her to say he was wrong.

Caroline looked away, because she couldn't deny that she felt attracted to Klaus. Even though she was mad that Tyler assumed she slept with Klaus, she didn't have much of a defense for wanting to be Klaus's friend. "I didn't slept with Klaus, but I am willing to be his friend. He has been there for me when I needed him and I've decided to do the same for him. I'm sorry, Tyler and I understand why you don't agree with it."

"He's been there for you? Is that when he stabbed you with a coat hanger or when he ordered me to bite you? How romantic." Tyler said with sarcasm.

Caroline turned to breathe out her frustration before she responded. "Things have changed, Tyler. Klaus and his family aren't our enemy anymore and I'm sorry for that because I know its cost you a lot."

"So, it's forgive and forget? I can't believe this. If it's not you wanting to be Klaus's friend, then it's Matt, my best friend, dating his sister. I come back home to find everybody just shrugging off everything that family did to us, like you all were compelled to forget." Tyler stopped as the idea took root. He looked at me with suspicion, while he seriously considered it.

Caroline could see where his thoughts were going and held up a hand to deter him. "I'm not compelled and neither is Matt. He genuinely likes Rebekah and I honestly want to be Klaus's friend." Caroline shook her head, hearing herself. How in the world did it come to this? Defending Rebekah and admitting out loud that she wanted Klaus in her life. But she couldn't deny it anymore. Klaus was a good friend to her, when he wasn't trying to kill everyone she knew. And even though Caroline and Rebekah started off hating each other, things had gotten better between them, almost friendly. They had grown closer on their trip home and Caroline was surprised to discover that Rebekah was easy to talk to.

Tyler's eyes filled again with anger and betrayal and spoke softly. "That makes it even worse, that you're willing to trust and depend on them. It sickens me that you want to be friends with him. I love you, Care, but I can't stand Klaus in your life. You're going to have to choose, him or me? Because you can't have us both." His hands clenched in fists as he fought for control, before he turned and disappeared into the night. Caroline stared, wanting to run after him to change his mind, and convince him that being friends with Klaus wouldn't change things between them, but she didn't think he wanted to hear it. And she didn't know if she believed it herself.

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**New Orleans**

Klaus strolled in the room, grateful for the silence that filled the house. It had been months since he had a peaceful moment, he decided to take advantage and paint. As he picked up his brush to start, the door opened and Elijah walked in, there went his privacy.

"Are you going to alert them of the threat?" Elijah asked, coming to stand beside Klaus.

"I'll let them know tomorrow. It's not much of a threat, they can handle them." Klaus said, not really concerned.

As Elijah was about to respond, music filled the silence of the house. Klaus shot Elijah a glare and moved to the hallway, but Elijah stopped him before he could climb the stairs.

Elijah held his hand up. "I'll take care of it."

Klaus gritted his teeth. "Find her a place somewhere else, away from me." He glared up the stairs, where Elijah had given Haley a room. He hadn't had much interaction with her, only to bark out orders for her to stay in the house for the child's protection. Whenever she entered a room, he would leave to avoid her as much as possible.

"Your child could come anytime. Haley needs to stay here, at least until she has the baby. After that, we can discuss what the best thing is for the child."

Klaus turned away, gritting his teeth as he continued his denial. He didn't like to talk about the baby. The events that were impacting his life were out of his control now and he wasn't handling it well. He slammed the door to cut off Elijah's next words as he walked back into the room. With the music making his mood worse, he opened the balcony doors and stepped out to breath in the late night. The city sounds soothed his mood somewhat, but it was mostly this spot. Right where he was standing, his life changed for the better. He closed his eyes and relieved every second that he spent with Caroline here. He could almost smell her scent, feel the hand that he grabbed as he stood with her to look out into the city. There had been genuine happiness that ran through him as she looked upon him, not with hate or disgust, but with care. He knew she didn't feel what he felt, but it was good enough, considering where they started.

Klaus could feel his life changing again, though he didn't think it was for the better. This time, he didn't have control and he hated it. It reminded him of when he was human and Mikeal dictated their lives. After he was changed and became stronger, he swore to himself that he would never become weak again, ruled by his emotions or other people around him. That plan went to hell when he met Caroline, but he found strength in caring for her, and became a better person for knowing her. The door opening behind him interrupted his reflection.

"We should talk about what happens next." Haley said, leaning against the door. Klaus turned and stared, already disturbed by her presence. Her stomach lead the way when she walked now. The only experience he had with a woman carrying a child is when Ester gave birth to Henrik, but he had been pretty young. He was assuming and hoping that she didn't have much time left before she gave birth.

"There's nothing to talk about. After you have the child, we'll find somewhere else for you to live."

"My child is coming with me." Haley raised her chin, expecting a fight.

Klaus scoffed. "Didn't figure you to be maternal."

"Me, either. But after you carry someone for seven months, you kind of grow attached." Haley said, with a touch of sarcasm. Klaus sighed with impatience as he looked over the city in thought. He figured he could make it difficult for her, find a way to push her out of the child's life. But really, what did he know about children? Elijah was right about Klaus having enemies and for the child's safety, he was going to have to put up with Haley.

Klaus spoke directly to Haley. "The child will be in danger, so you'll have to stay here. You stay out of my way and take care of the child, then we'll get along."

"I want to find my family." Haley said, looking out into the city.

Klaus waved his hand. "Talk to Elijah about that, maybe he can help." He turned away, finished with the conversation. Haley rolled her eyes behind his back and went back inside, frustrated with the situation. Klaus put his head down in regret at the mess of his own creation, wishing that Caroline was here.

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**Mystic Falls**

Caroline decided to let off some steam with a late-night session with Stefan. Stefan was surprised and happy to see her when he opened the door to his apartment, but that didn't last long as they got started with her training. As Caroline got into a rhythm with Stefan, she started to replay the scene with Tyler in her mind. She understood where he was coming from, but her feelings mattered, too. And she couldn't help it, she was pissed about the whole situation. She was mad at herself for the feelings she had for Klaus. She was mad at Tyler for the assumptions and accusations, even though Tyler didn't have a problem using her to kill Klaus. And she was mad at Klaus for all the evil things he did. She felt like she was on a rollercoaster from hell and she just wanted to get off.

Caroline used her anger to throw a round of punches, hitting Stefan in the face as she caught him off guard. He deflected the next punch as the rage made her see red. She was so focused on releasing her anger, she didn't see Stefan easing back to escape the fury Caroline was directing his way. He flashed to the other side of the room, leaving Caroline to swing at thin air.

"How about we just talk about what's bother you, instead of taking it out on me?" Stefan asked, with a smile. That was happening more often, Stefan seemed to be having better moods. The first few weeks reflected his typical brooding self, but things were slowly returning to normal for him.

"So, things have been quiet here, huh?" Caroline asked.

"You might as well tell me. You know you will eventually." Stefan said.

Caroline drank some water as she looked away from Stefan's inquiring eyes. He had always been the one she could come and talk to about anything, but she was nervous about discussing this with Stefan. Klaus had destroyed Stefan's life, which had led to his break-up with Elena and even though Stefan was usually understanding about things, this might take the cake. Caroline took a deep breath and again decided to bite the bullet.

"Things changed between me and Klaus when I was in New Orleans. I decided to be his friend, no more manipulation, no more lies." Caroline took a peek at Stefan, who didn't look too surprised.

He shrugged a shoulder. "I could see that coming at prom when you asked Klaus for a dress. I told you then, you had Klaus wrapped around your finger."

"So, you're not mad that I want to be friends with Klaus?"

"No, but I will say that you need to be careful. Once you're a friend of Klaus, you're expected to be a friend for life. Believe me, I know. And I'm going to try to say this without choking on it, Klaus can be a good friend. He's an egotistical, homicidal control freak, but he has his moments. I know he tries to be better around you, almost human."

Caroline cleared her throat and looked away to gather some courage. "And what would you say, if I told you that it might be more than friendship that I feel for Klaus?"

Now Stefan was surprised, completely shocked. He struggled to form thoughts for a minute. "What about Tyler?"

"Tyler's pissed, do you know he accused me of sleeping with Klaus?" Caroline growled, still mad about that. "He told me that I have to choose, not that I really blame him. I knew he wouldn't accept Klaus as my friend."

Caroline turned away to pace her anxiety away. "This is crazy, right? I have lost my mind. I need to be sent to an insane asylum for vampires." Stefan's eyes filled with amusement as Caroline let her emotions get the better of her.

Caroline moved from one side of the room to the other. "I love Tyler, I do. God, I sound like such an idiot, to say I'm in love with someone and attracted to someone else at the same time. Tyler and I have been through so much, we were there for each other during the most traumatic time of our lives. It created a genuine bond, but this past year changed us and I'm not sure if it's been for the better." Caroline stopped pacing to think, before she grew agitated and started moving again. "With Klaus, it's like I'm a different person when we're together, more sure of myself. He sees me in ways that no one else really does. And I like that he's different around me, that he tries to be better. I just don't completely trust that he won't go all psycho on me, again."

Stefan tried to keep the smile off, to no avail. "I'm the last person to be giving love advice, but someone recently told me that you can have more than one great love. So, whatever you decide, I'll stand by you." A shadow of memories took the rare smile away and Caroline could see he was thinking of Elena. She felt bad that she was dumping her problems on top of everything he had going on.

"How are you, for real?" Caroline asked, with concern.

Stefan's eyes tightened with pride. "I'm fine, Caroline. I can't change anything, so I just have to deal with it. The hardest part is not knowing what he's planning to do. I hope that it's me Silas comes after and not anyone I care about."

Caroline admired Stefan's martyr syndrome, but that only made her worry more. They talked a little more and made plans to meet tomorrow. Caroline opened the door to head out, only to found someone else in the doorway. "Elena?" Caroline wondered why she was here and then she heard a heartbeat. "Katherine." Caroline looked over her shoulder back at Stefan with an eyebrow raised, pondering Katherine's presence. Stefan shrugged his shoulders, looking like he didn't want to talk about. Katherine glared at Caroline, brushing past her to walk in, uninvited. Before she could say anything, she sneezed. Her eyes and nose were red and puffy, it looked like she caught a cold. Caroline smirked at Katherine, enjoying the woman's misery. She had made Caroline's life hell after she smothered her with a pillow, so she felt like she had a right to gloat in her face. But she decided not to do it in front of Stefan and walked out, passing Katherine with a smile.

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Caroline entered her house, shaking her head at Stefan's love life, though she couldn't say much, considering the state of hers.

"Hey, look who stopped by. He heard you were home for your vacation." Liz said, walking into the living room.

Behind her, coming in at a slower pace was Stefan. Caroline stood confused, but everything came together when she saw his face. The hard eyes, so unlike Stefan's and the smirk, that gave it all away.

Caroline breathed. "Silas." She flashed in front of her mother and eased her backwards to the door. She could hear her mother's heartbeat escalate as she realized the danger.

Silas grinned with evil. "Oh, don't leave. I was having fun playing Stefan. It was too easy." They were more than five steps away from the door, when it swung open. Silas flashed to reach them, but he was thrown away and slammed against a wall. Caroline didn't wonder or question, she just grabbed her mother and ran into the night.


	3. Chapter 3

**I don't own anything TVD or TO related.**

**Thank you to all who read and reviewed (as well as favorite and followed).**

**To any who wondered, that was Bonnie, she saved the day again. **

**In this chapter, I decided to do a little twist on a character that was on the pilot of TO.**

**Happy Reading!**

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**Chapter 3**

**Mystic Falls**

It all happened so fast. The door swung opened and Silas was thrown into the wall. Caroline didn't think, she just reacted. She grabbed her mother and ran out of the door, into the night. Caroline didn't slow down or look back, she just kept running.

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**THE NEXT MORNING….**

**New Orleans**

Klaus sat at a table outside of the restaurant, watching people walk the street as they went about their lives. The mornings were the best time to be on Bourbon Street. The merchants were just opening and the traffic of people was slow, almost a calm before the storm. He only seemed to gain some peace when he was outside of the house these days. With Haley living there now and Elijah seeming to use every chance to talk to Klaus about the baby, he was losing patience with both of them.

As he was about to stand up to leave, he noticed a dark-skinned woman standing across the street, looking directly at him. It was the fortune teller that he had spoken to the first day he came back to New Orleans. She had been the first person to tell Klaus about Marcel and his rules. When he focused her, she started walking towards him as if she'd been waiting for him to notice her. He relaxed back in his seat, curious as to what she wanted. She was an elder woman with eyes that were direct and full of knowledge. She wore a scarf and long flowing dress that made that her look like the typical gypsy.

Klaus smirked as she sat down across from him without an invitation. "Are you ready to tell my fortune now?"

"I already know your future, it remains to be seen if you're have the courage and trust to fulfill it." The woman said cryptically. "I wanted to wait to see how you would handle Marcel. When I was young, my grandmother would tell me stories about the hybrid and his family that called New Orleans home and how important you were going to be for the witches one day. I didn't expect it to happen so fast, but you were very successful."

Klaus inclined his head in appreciation and touch of arrogance. He was surprised himself how quickly he took down Marcel, but with the help of his family and Sophie's coven, they able to match the strength of Marcel's army. Of course, with Marcel gone, the territory was up for grabs and Klaus wanted to make sure that everyone knew it was his. He didn't have to worry about werewolves, since Marcel ran or killed them off, but that left the remaining vampires in the city and the witches fighting over the territory.

The woman met his eyes directly. "My name is Athena and I want to help you keep control of the city."

Klaus snorted with disbelief. He didn't trust easily, not at all if he could avoid it. He always depended on himself, not having much faith in other people. "You're a witch, why would you want me to have control?"

"The city needs someone to rule, someone who is strong enough to handle the supernatural elements. Once the werewolves find out Marcel's gone, they'll come back. The survivors of Marcel's army is still a threat, but the witches have suffered enough, Davina will need to be protected."

Klaus had a touch of clarity as he realized her concern. "You want to make sure Davina isn't used as a weapon to keep the witches in line."

"It's the only way we'll be free to practice magic. If the werewolves or any more vampires find out about Davina, they'll use her against us. "

"Before we go any further, why don't you impress me with a reading first?" Klaus asked, with a devil of a grin.

Athena signed impatiently and grabbed his hand with a hint of annoyance. Klaus snickered. "What, no cards or a glass ball to stare into?"

There was a hint of amusement in her brown eyes, before it faded. Her expression became serious as she looked up to meet his eyes. "You've spent a long time running, but your life is changing now. You want your family, but you've betrayed their trust. You won't get it back so easily." Klaus narrowed his eyes as Athena's reading was hitting close to home.

Klaus started to pull his hand away, deciding that he had heard enough, but Athena held on. "I sense fear."

Klaus laughed. "Well, I thought you were better than that. I fear no one." He had made sure of that when he ended Mikeal's life.

She shook her head in focus. "Not your fear, hers. She's afraid, for herself and the people she loves."

Klaus grew sober as he concentrated on her face. Athena looked directly in his eyes as if she was seeing his soul. "The one you care about. There's danger surrounding her, an ancient evil." Athena had a faraway look in her eyes, almost out of focus. "There are two with one face, good and evil." She looked confused as she let go of his hand.

Klaus was deep in thought. An ancient evil and two with one face. That sounded like Silas. Rebekah had kept in contact with Elijah to keep him up to date with what was happening in Mystic Falls. She had told him about Stefan being Silas's doppelganger, but he had disappeared and no one knew where he was. Athena interrupted his thoughts. "You're going have to choose between your duty and your desire. For our sake, I hope you make the right choice. I'll be in touch." Before Klaus could form a thought to ask her to explain, Athena stood and walked away.

As Klaus rose to head back home, he pulled out his phone. He tried to connect Caroline, but it rang until it switched to voice mail. He hung up and tried her again, but she still didn't answer. He was starting to get a bad feeling, so he dialed another number.

Rebekah answered the phone. "How did you know?"

"What happened? Why isn't Caroline answering her phone?" Klaus asked his sister, moving quicker to reach the house.

Rebekah sighed. "She's fine, Nik. Silas was at her house with her mom when she got there. She was able to get away with Bonnie's help." Klaus growled and slowly came to a stop. Caroline had been in danger and he hadn't been there to protect her. It was one of his worst fears. He started thinking of what he could do, hating that he was so far away.

"Where is she?"

"She's at the Salvatore's. I'm on my way there now." Rebekah said.

"I'm coming to get-"

Rebekah snorted. "You know she won't leave her friends. You'll have to drag her away, kicking and screaming and she'll hate you for it."

"But she'd be alive and that's all I care about. Have her call me when you get there. Thanks, Rebekah." Klaus heard her inhale with surprise, but he hung up before she could say anything. He moved to reach the house, he needed to discuss some things with Elijah before he left.

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**Mystic Falls**

Caroline woke, hoping that yesterday been a nightmare. Silas had been in her house with her mother, who he could have killed in a heartbeat. And on top of that, Tyler's welcome home greeting didn't go as planned. As she crawled out of bed and got dressed, she realized the stakes were raised and the threat felt so much worse now. Caroline was searching for her phone, before realizing she must have dropped it as she grabbed her mother to run out of the house. She had to find a way to protect her mother, she thought as she walked down the stairs at the Salvatore mansion. They had made it here to safety last night, thankfully with Bonnie's help. Caroline had tried to talk her mother out of going to the station today, but Liz's annoying sense of duty came before everything, sometimes even her own daughter. Maybe she can convince her to take an early vacation, anything to get her out of harm's way. As she was walking to the living room, the front door opened and Matt, Rebekah and Jeremy came in.

"Tell Bonnie I said thank you." Caroline said to Jeremy as they joined Damon and Elena in the living room. Rebekah stepped to Caroline, touching her arm and speaking softly. "We need to talk. Nik is trying to get ahold of you." Caroline nodded but before she could respond, Elena wrapped her arms around her to give some comfort. Caroline turned back to Rebekah after Elena moved away. "Can I see your phone?"

Jeremy spoke up after listening for a minute. "Bonnie wishes she would have gotten there sooner."

Damon huffed with frustration. "Why didn't she turn him back into stone when she had the chance?"

Of course, the insensitive one. Caroline rolled her eyes at Damon. "Maybe because she was making sure we stayed alive." She was hoping to duck out and reassure Klaus that she was okay, but Matt's words stopped her.

"Tyler's on his way here." Matt said, reading a text from his phone. Caroline sighed, she was hoping to avoid any arguing, she couldn't handle that right now. She sent a quick text of her own before handing Rebekah the phone back.

Rebekah shook her head as she read the text. "I wouldn't be surprised if he's already on his way, ready to get you out of town."

Caroline silently agreed, wondering how she was going to handle it. She wanted to stay and help, which Klaus would disapprove of.

Damon poured blood out of a bag into a glass. "We don't have time for the chit-chat, we need to talk about what to do."

Stefan came in as Caroline sat down. "Are you okay?" Caroline nodded at his concern, but her breath became uneven as Stefan stepped closer. After the night she'd had, she couldn't help herself, she eased away from him. He stopped as he noticed her fear, then moved away to give her space. She cleared her throat to cover up the tension the moment created. Boy, there was a lot of it. Stefan didn't look Elena or Damon's way while they didn't look in his eyes as well. Caroline guessed things hadn't gotten better on that front.

"What does he want?" Caroline asked, looking at everyone in the room.

"He failed to destroy the Other Side and without the cure, Silas can't become mortal, so I imagine he's a little ticked about that." Damon said, taking a sip of blood.

Stefan nodded. "He also wants to make my life miserable, so he's going after the people who are close to me." Stefan moved to the window to look out. Everyone avoided looking Stefan's way as we all silently agreed that he was right. Elena looked like she wanted to comfort Stefan, but Caroline didn't think that would go over so well.

Jeremy spoke as he moved to Stefan. "Bonnie's working on something with her grandmother. But she said that the next time she gets a chance, she'll entomb him."

Elena moved to stand with Jeremy. "Don't worry, Stefan. We'll be okay." Stefan didn't acknowledge either one, he seemed to be deep in thought.

Damon sighed. "Let's just focus on getting rid of him."

Before anyone could say anything else, the door opened and Stefan walked in. He came to a sudden stop as his mirror image turned to face him. Everyone drew a collective breath as it registered. It was pure silence as the people in the room looked back and forth, trying to distinguish who was the real Stefan. Everything was the same, his face, his body, even the way he stood.

"Son of a bitch." Damon snarled. He stepped back to keep both in his sight, as he tried but couldn't tell which one was his brother. Stefan, standing by the window, growled. "What are you waiting for, kill him."

Stefan, who had just walked through the door, looked to Damon. "Damon, it's me."

"Don't you know your own brother?" Stefan, by the window, asked. How would we attack, not knowing if it was Stefan that would be hurt?

Rebekah looked at both, stepping closer as she stood in front of Matt to protect him and thought quickly on her feet. "Stefan, what did you give Elena that was mine?"

Stefan, who had just walked in the door, responded first. "Your necklace."

Everyone turned to Silas. Jeremy and Elena, who were standing the closest, slowly moved away from him. Caroline stood quickly, backing away. The mask fell as he looked at everyone, his eyes became hard and he slowly grinned. "Well, it was fun while it lasted." He flashed to Damon, throwing a punch and knocking him against a wall. Stefan flashed to reach him, but Silas was too fast, leaving Stefan grabbing thin air. Elena stepped in front of Jeremy, but that put her in the line of fire. Silas backhanded her, sending her to the floor. The sound of bones cracking filled the room and Silas screamed with pain. His skin wrinkled as his bones were starting to become stone. Bonnie's spell was working, Stefan tried to grab him to hold him down, but Silas threw him across the room. Silas flashed with quickness to reach the door and then he was gone, leaving the carnage behind him.

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**New Orleans**

It switched to voice mail. Klaus couldn't get hold of Caroline. He tried again, only to get the same results. He growled as his frustration was building. The longer it took to reach her, to hear her voice, the more he started to worry. Klaus was pacing when Elijah walked in as he was about to call Rebekah back. Klaus received a text just as he was about to speak.

_I'm fine. Will call soon. Caroline._

"I'm leaving to go to Mystic Falls." Klaus said, looking at his phone as he hoped that she was really safe.

Elijah looked startled at the news. "What's wrong?

"Caroline found Silas in her house. I can't get her on the phone and now I can't get Rebekah to answer, but I just got a text, saying they're fine."

"What about Diego? He's going after Sophie's coven." Elijah said, looking worried.

"They can take care of them. I'm going, Elijah, take care of things here while I'm gone." Klaus said.

"Niklaus, I don't know if it's a good idea for you to leave now. If Marcel's survivors think there's a chance to take over again, they'll go for it."

Klaus stepped to his brother and glared. "Caroline's safety is the most important thing right now, nothing else matters."

Elijah stopped him before he could leave. "Wait, I have an idea. Sophie and the others are already on their way."

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Klaus didn't like this, he would only relax when he heard Caroline's voice, but he also had to take care of his territory. He thought of Athena's words as he was waiting, that he had to choose between his duty and his desire. It was kind of ironic that he was placing his trust with them, considering how they met. He was going to send them to protect her, while he took care of Diego. As they stepped in the room, Davina gave Klaus a smile and he nodded in greeting. Jasmine grimaced before tossing her bright red hair over her shoulder as she sat down, her disdain for vampires was still evident. Ebony, a little more tolerant of his kind, seemed to have an aura surrounding her. With her dark skin and eyes, her exotic features stood out in a crowd. Sophie seemed to have adjusted as leader of her coven. She radiated more confidence as she walked in the room. As sisters, Davina and Sophie's brown hair fell softly down their backs, their eyes expressing strength.

"So, they're coming after us again?" Jasmine asked, her eyes narrowed.

"We believe so. Since they've only come after Jasmine and Ebony, we don't think they know about Davina or maybe they want to use her like Marcel did. Either way, they're trying to take down the ones with the most power. So, we've decided to kill two birds with one stone. I'm going to get you all out of town while we take care of this. I'm sending you to Mystic Falls to protect Caroline."

"Why do you want us to protect her? She has a Bennett witch on her side, doesn't she?" Ebony asked, looking confused.

"Well, I have more faith in you than her inept friends. Besides you owe her, all of you would be dead if she hadn't said otherwise. So, it's time for you to return the favor." Klaus said, speaking directly to Sophie.

Sophie nodded. "Ok, but Davina needs to stay here, where she'll be safe. Mary and Justine should stay, too."

Davina spoke up. "But I want to see Caroline." Sophie shook her head, not leaving it up to debate.

"They can stay here, I'll protect them." Elijah said.

"How is Mystic Falls the safest place for us? With Silas running around, that is the last place I want to be." Jasmine huffed, folding her arms.

"I can't be in two places at once. So, I'm going to take care of Diego and his band of merry men while you protect her. I'll come after I finish here." Klaus glared, not liking his orders questioned. "Caroline, her mother and my sister are your priority. Just make sure Caroline is safe."

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**Don't worry, Klaus will be going….I just want to give Bonnie a little help.**


	4. Chapter 4

**I don't own anything TVD or TO related.**

**Thank you to all who read and reviewed (as well as favorite and followed).**

**Happy Reading!**

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**Chapter 4**

**Mystic Falls**

The silence was lengthy after Silas made his exit, everyone trying not to look Stefan in the eye. Damon hurried to Elena's side, checking her for any injuries as we all sighed with relief that no one had been hurt. Silas had been in our midst again and we hadn't known it. Stefan was angry, anyone could see it on his face. Caroline couldn't really blame him, his family and the people who know him so well had been fooled again.

"Thanks, Rebekah." Stefan said, appreciating how she had dealt with the situation, but looking accusing at everyone else. Damon was having a hard time meeting his brother's gaze, obviously feeling guilty that he hadn't known for sure. Silas had lived among them for months and it wasn't until Caroline had been kidnapped before they started realizing that there was a problem.

"It's nice to realize that you know me so well, brother." Stefan said, not even trying to sugarcoat it. He scoffed as Damon stayed silent, either not knowing or having to nothing to say. The door opened and Tyler walked in, giving some relief to the tension in the room. He looked around at the damage. "What happened?"

Damon folded his arms. "Silas happened. He was here, impersonating Stefan and fooling us again." He glanced at Stefan before looking away, almost in shame. "We need a plan, maybe a code word or something. And we should all stay here until we can entomb him, being separated is making it too easy for him."

Stefan breathed out his frustration, obviously still upset. He nodded in agreement as he glanced at Caroline. "How's your mom?"

Caroline sighed. "She's fine. But I don't think a code word would work, he can read our minds, can't he?"

Jeremy agreed. "Yeah, that's not going to work. We just have to do what Rebekah did, ask a question that only that person would know. It was pretty smart." Matt gave a half-smile to Rebekah, which caused Tyler to roll his eyes in disgust.

"I have to go check on something, I'll be back soon." Stefan said, turning away to head out.

"We just agreed to stay together, Stefan." Elena argued as she stepped closer.

Stefan snapped. "I don't need a babysitter." Elena looked hurt by Stefan's tone. Here comes the tension again, Caroline thought. She stepped forward to avoid an argument. "I'll go with you. I need to check on my mom and get my phone, anyway."

"I need to talk to you, Caroline." Tyler pulled her out the house to gain some privacy. Caroline held a finger up to Stefan, asking him to wait.

Tyler faced her, anger still lingering in his eyes. "I think we should get out of town. It's not safe here."

"Our friends need our help, we can't just leave." Caroline said, keeping her voice down, though those with vampire hearing could still hear.

"They can take care of this, they always find a way. They don't need us, Caroline."

Caroline shook her head, wondering what this was really about. "Stefan's barely holding on, my mom is still in danger and Silas is terrorizing everyone. How can you say they don't need us?"

"We can convince your mom to leave-" Tyler started again.

"I've already tried, she won't and I'm not going anywhere when Silas is still a threat to her, Tyler."

"You were willing to leave with me before?" Tyler said, his eyes narrowed, almost with suspicion. Caroline couldn't believe they were even having this discussion with so much going on. She glanced over her shoulder as she wondered how Stefan was. He was really angry that we hadn't been able to tell that it was Silas.

"Silas wasn't trying to kill everyone we know. I'm sorry, but I can't go." Caroline stated firmly.

"When are you going to stop putting everybody before us? This is our lives and being here right now is dangerous."

"You're right, it is dangerous, which is why I'm not going anywhere." Caroline didn't give him a chance to say anything else as she walked back into the house. Tyler was worried about her, she could see that but it always annoyed her how he sometimes put his needs first, even over his friends. As she stepped back in the room, Rebekah handed her phone back to Caroline. "You need to call, he's probably on his way." Caroline closed her eyes and exhaled the stress. Tyler followed her back inside, glaring at Rebekah as she moved away to stand with Matt. Caroline stepped back outside, thinking this day had just started, but it felt like it would never end.

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**New Orleans**

Klaus stood on the balcony, looking out over the city. This waiting was brutal, not knowing what was happening. If he could just hear her voice, he would be able to relax. There were so many scenarios that were running through his mind, he felt like he was going crazy. Silas was powerful, he had even fooled Klaus once and Caroline was vulnerable. Silas could impersonate anyone, how would she able to know the difference? He gritted his teeth as his fear begin to overwhelm him. He just needed to know that she was safe. Sophie and the others should be there soon, but until he knew that Caroline was protected, nothing else mattered.

"You're worried about Caroline, aren't you?" Davina asked, stepping out onto the balcony with Justine.

Klaus turned, not really wanting company. He started to tell them to go back inside, but he could just imagine Caroline telling him not to be rude. He nodded in response as he checked his phone again.

"Sophie will protect her, she'll be okay." Davina spoke, confident in her sister. Klaus sighed, wondering how he could get rid of them as he was still not comfortable in their presence.

Justine moved to stand with Davina, not taking the hint. "So, if you care about Caroline, why did you sleep with that other woman?" They obviously didn't know much about tact as both Davina and Justine looked inquiringly at Klaus.

"What's with the questions?" Klaus snapped, losing his patience.

They both shrugged, before Justine answered with a smirk. "We're kids, remember? Kids ask questions."

His phone rang, interrupting the inquisition. He recognized Rebekah's number as he moved away to answer. "Where is she?" Klaus shouted, causing Davina and Justine to jump.

"Stop yelling, I'm right here." Caroline's voice, even filled with anger sent relief flooding through him, leaving his body weak. He closed his eyes and bowed his head as the fear left.

"Are you safe?" Klaus asked softly, wanting to know only that.

Caroline hesitated to answer. "I really can't handle you flipping-"

"Tell me what happened, Caroline." Klaus could sense that Caroline wanted to avoid telling him everything.

"Silas was in the house with Mom when I got there, luckily I had just come from Stefan's, so I was able to figure out quickly that it was Silas and Bonnie helped us get away." Caroline hesitated again. "This morning, Silas came to the Salvatore's impersonating Stefan again but Stefan showed up and we realized who was who, only Silas got away again."

"Where are you?" Klaus demanded, anxious that Silas had gotten close to her twice.

"At the Salvatore's. I'm about to leave with Stefan to go check on my mom and find my phone. We're all going to stay here, safety in numbers."

"I sent you some protection and after I take care of things here, I'm coming to Mystic Falls."

"Klaus-" Caroline started to respond, but he didn't give her a chance.

"I don't trust your friends with your safety, love. They're already on their way."

"Who's they?" Caroline asked, with confusion.

"Your witchy friends. They'll be there to protect your mother, as well." Klaus figured the best way to avoid an argument was to bring her mother's safety to the forefront. He was right, because she grew quiet as she started to think.

Caroline breathed. "Okay, that's actually a good idea. I was trying to figure a way to keep her safe, short of compelling her to leave town. Thank you, Klaus." She hesitated once more. "But Tyler's here-"

"I could care less about wolf-boy's feelings. Your safety is everything to me, Caroline. He'll just have to deal with it." Klaus scoffed. He could hear Caroline's frustration through the phone. He smiled as he imagined her waving her hands in aggravation as she tried to get her point across.

"Klaus, there is so much going on right now, adding you to the mix is a recipe for disaster." Caroline said, trying to reason with him.

"Yes, I imagine. Although, I could have just showed up and dragged you away to safety, but I figured it would be better this way." Klaus smiled again, wishing he could see her face. She was so funny when she was mad.

"I'm not leaving my friends, Klaus."

"Which is why I'm coming. I'll be there soon, but I want you to call me when you get back to the Salvatore's and let me know you're safe."

Caroline was silent for a minute, before she accepted his decision. "Fine, but please don't start anything with Tyler, I can't handle that right now."

Klaus smiled, glad that he got his way. "I won't. Trust me."

Caroline huffed out her frustration. "I'll see you soon." She hung up before he could say anything else.

Elijah stepped out on the balcony, nodding a greeting to Davina and Justine. "I found Diego's hideout, it's just outside the city." Klaus nodded, waving everybody back inside. He turned to Mary, who was sitting in the living room. "Watch them while we go take care of this." Haley walked in as they were preparing to leave.

Haley looked around at the others. "You're leaving me here with strangers?" Davina and Justine curiously inspected Haley as she sat on the couch with Mary.

Elijah nodded. "We won't be long. Keep an eye on each other."

Haley shook her head. "Some protection, leaving me here with two kids."

Davina and Justine exchanged disgusted looks as they linked arms to walk out of the room.

Davina glanced back at Klaus. "We like Caroline better." Haley glared at the two teens as Klaus smirked, walking out the door.

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**Mystic Falls**

Caroline bit her lip, worried about the anger radiating off Stefan. They went by her house, where she found her phone and packed a bag for her and her mom. She moved to stand by Stefan on the porch, who was starring off into space.

"I got everything I need." Caroline said, but he didn't respond. "Stefan, I know this is hard for you and I'm sorry for that."

Stefan met her eyes and shook his head as he tried to gain control. "It makes me angry that you all can't tell the difference. I could tell when Katherine was impersonating Elena, I could feel that it wasn't her."

Caroline was silent, sad that Stefan was in pain. She had felt that something was off when Silas had come close, but she had assumed it was just because of the night she had. She needed to start trusting her instincts more, she thought. They were both quiet, deep in their thoughts as they drove to town.

Stefan sighed. "We'll go check on your mom and then I need to go to my apartment."

Caroline raised an eyebrow. "Where Katherine is staying?"

Stefan glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. "She's just staying there for protection."

Caroline kept her judgments to herself, not really having any room to talk since Klaus was on his way here. She appreciated Klaus's help, especially the protection of her mom, she was just worried about the impact of Klaus's presence on Tyler. But she couldn't think about Tyler's feelings right now, keeping the people she loved safe was the most important thing. They arrived at the town square and walked together to the police station. As they entered Sheriff Forbes's office, Caroline breathed with relief to see her mom behind the desk. Liz looked up and jumped to her feet when she saw who was following her daughter.

Caroline held her hand up. "It's okay, Mom. That's Stefan. Who saved me from Dad?"

Liz looked confused by the question. "Tyler and I saved you."

"Sorry, but I had to check. We figure Silas won't know everything, so we're asking questions that the person would know the answer to. Maybe it will work, maybe not."

Liz didn't fully trust that it was Stefan as she looked in his eyes, but she accepted Caroline's word. Stefan shook his head with frustration and moved away to gain control. Everyone questioning his identity was really getting to him.

Caroline stepped closer to the desk. "Klaus is sending protection for you, they should be here soon. Just be careful and don't trust anyone."

"Klaus? What does he want in exchange?" Liz asked, the worry returning to her eyes.

"Nothing, Mom. He's doing it because he's my friend and he knows I'm worried about your safety." Caroline could understand her mother's doubt in Klaus, but she wished people would stop questioning everything Klaus did for her.

Her mother nodded, still in doubt. "Fine. But you need to be careful with him, Caroline."

Stefan and Caroline left to check on Katherine, but when Stefan opened the door to his apartment, they found it empty.

Stefan looked around. "Something's wrong, she's supposed to be here." They exchanged glances before deciding to search for her. Stefan wanted to split up, but Caroline didn't think it was a good idea. As they walked the town square, Caroline could see that Stefan was worried as more time went by and we still couldn't find Katherine.

"I'm going to check the Grill, stay here until I come back." Stefan left before Caroline could argue his decision. She turned in a circle, still looking around. Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw someone on the roof of Stefan's building. Caroline focused on the shadow as it stepped closer to the ledge. It was Katherine. She sent a text to Stefan, but decided not to wait for him. She couldn't run at full speed with everyone watching, but she kept her eyes on the roof as she hurried to his building. Caroline entered his building and flashed up the stairs to the roof. Katherine was now standing on the ledge, looking out into the distance.

"Katherine, what are you doing?" Caroline asked quietly, not wanting to startle her.

Katherine turned her head, her eyes were slightly out of focus. "I have to jump. Stefan told me to come up here and jump off."

Caroline could see that she was compelled, she edged closer to reach her, knowing she wouldn't be able to talk her down. "Katherine, look at me." She ignored Caroline and took a step forward off the ledge. Caroline flashed to her, with her hand reaching out to Katherine as she fell over the side.

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**Sorry to leave you hanging. I'll update soon.**


	5. Chapter 5

**I don't own anything TVD or TO related.**

**Thank you to all who read and reviewed (as well as favorite and followed).**

**Sorry for the short chapter before, but my guilty pleasure of college football started and I knew I wouldn't get much writing done.**

**Happy Reading!**

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**Chapter 5**

**Mystic Falls**

Katherine was falling over the side as Caroline flashed to her with her hand reaching out to grab anything she could. She found fabric, Katherine's shirt as she was disappearing over the side. Caroline had her, but her breath stopped as she heard a rip. She feared the shirt would tear before she could pull her back, leaving Katherine to fall to her death. Caroline bent over the ledge, reached with her other hand and was able to grab Katherine's arm. Looking down, she could see a few people who had glanced up were stopping and staring with horror as Katherine was dangling over the side of the building. As Caroline was pulling her up, she saw a hand grab Katherine's other arm to help. She turned and saw Stefan, panic in his eyes, helping her pull Katherine back over the side of the ledge to safety. Caroline hesitated for a moment, looking directly at Stefan but the compassion and fear all over his face put her at ease.

Caroline quivered with relief as they moved Katherine away from the ledge, but Katherine was fighting their hold, still under Silas's compulsion.

"I have to jump." Katherine said as Stefan shook her, trying to pull her out of it.

"Katherine!" Stefan yelled in her face, but she didn't respond to him. The yelling and shaking wasn't working. He looked to Caroline, at a loss of what to do. Caroline stared at Katherine, not really wanting to hurt her, but she grabbed Katherine's arm and turned her around. She knew there was no way to reach her, so she did the only thing she could think of. She threw a punch and it connected. Katherine fell back into Stefan's arms, knocked out cold.

Caroline met Stefan's shocked gaze and shrugged a shoulder. "It worked, didn't it?" Stefan lifted Katherine in his arms and followed Caroline down the stairs. Stefan shook his head, walking past his apartment. "She's not safe here, we have to take her with us." Caroline figured that, but the task of protecting Katherine, who was now human was very ironic. But everything was changing, so Caroline wasn't really surprised anymore. Roles were being reversed, enemies were becoming friends, and people she never thought she could count on were now playing a role in their survival.

As they were coming down the stairs, Liz was entering the building in a hurry. She came to a sudden stop when she saw us as she surveyed the scene before her.

"What happened now?" Liz asked, looking at an unconscious Katherine in Stefan's arms.

"Silas compelled her to jump off the building. We caught her before she could fall." Caroline said, worrying even more. With her mom running around town, she was glad there was protection on the way for her. Caroline hoped Sophie and whoever was coming with her would get there soon, because Silas seemed determined to cause as much mayhem as he could.

"She's going to stay with us for safety. Mom, please be careful." Caroline said, looking back with concern as they were leaving.

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"We're taking strays in now?" Damon asked, waving his hand at Katherine. Stefan ignored him, walking in to lay Katherine on the couch. Rebekah, with eyebrows raised, stepped to the couch with Matt. Tyler and Jeremy, preparing weapons in the corner stopped to look on. Elena walked in the room as Stefan turned to face Damon. "Silas compelled her to jump off a building, Caroline was able to get to her in time." Damon, for once, didn't comment as Elena came to stand beside him.

Elena was looking down at Katherine, who was still unconscious, with anger in her eyes. "You should have just let her jump." Stefan was disturbed by Elena's comments, while it seemed mostly everyone else in the room agreed with her. Jeremy, Matt and Tyler didn't look like they had much pity for her and Rebekah barely glanced Katherine's way. But Caroline was disturbed by Elena's words, though she could kind of understand after everything Katherine had done to them. When it came down to it, she couldn't just let Katherine fall to her death. She felt that life was precious and shouldn't be taken for granted, even Katherine's.

As Caroline looked at Elena, still glaring at Katherine, at times she wondered if Elena still had her switch off. Ever since she had been turned into a vampire, the compassionate girl was hardly there anymore. After everything that Elena had been through, Caroline could relate, but being a vampire was supposed to enhance emotions that were already there. Caroline guessed that compassion for Katherine was asking for too much from Elena.

Stefan didn't move, but he seemed to draw back, looking at Elena as if she were a stranger. He searched her eyes as if he were looking for the girl he fell in love with. Caroline could have told him a long time ago, that girl was gone.

"She's human and vulnerable, Elena. Silas already came after her once, she needs to stay here." Stefan said firmly.

"Here? We're not protecting her after everything she did to us." Elena said, stepping closer to scoff at the idea. Jeremy was definitely in agreement as he moved to stand by his sister's side to show his support.

Stefan sighed with impatience. "You got your revenge, let it go for now."

"Let it go? She killed my brother and made my life hell-" Elena started, reminding everyone what Katherine had done. Tyler snorted quietly, while he mumbled under his breath. "Not so easy to forget, huh?"

Caroline avoided Tyler's gaze, but spoke directly to Elena. "We don't have time for this, Silas is the problem now. We need to get rid of him before someone ends up dead." Elena continued to glare Katherine's way, not wanting to hear reason.

"She's staying, end of discussion." Stefan said, picking Katherine back up. "She can stay in my old room." Elena opened her mouth to argue, but Stefan walked upstairs, not wanting to hear anything else. Elena, in shock, turned to Damon for help but he shrugged. "She'll be gone as soon as Silas is taken care of." Elena's face changed to anger at the very thought of having to protect Katherine. Caroline turned away as she pulled out her phone to send a text, thinking that bringing Katherine here maybe wasn't such a good idea.

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**New Orleans**

The sun sent rays of light through the muddy bayou as Klaus and Elijah hurried to Diego's hideout. They figured they could get the vampires without daylight rings and hopefully Diego and any others would be there, catching them off-guard. Klaus wanted Diego personally, asserting his authority to show everyone who was in charge. Once he took care of them and with the loyalty of the witches, the city would be under his control. Klaus felt a vibration in his pocket and pulled out his phone. There was a text message.

_We're at the Salvatore's. I'm safe._

_Caroline._

Klaus breathed a little easier, hoping she was safe for the night. Now he could focus on resolving this, so he could be there to protect her himself. They approached the house, surrounded by the bayou with caution. Klaus signaled Elijah to take the back, while Klaus would handle the front. The sound of the bayou, mosquitoes and birds filled the silence as Klaus and Elijah crept towards the house. Klaus focused on the sounds coming from inside, he could hear some upstairs and there were others voices in the back of the house. He gave a nod to Elijah and watched him disappear to the back. There was a vampire walking back and forth, watching for any intruders. Klaus moved quietly through the bayou, surprised that there wasn't more standing guard but he had a feeling he was mostly dealing with amateurs. Diego hadn't taken him seriously before, so he shouldn't have expected much more. He crept to the side, quickly flashed to him while his back was turned and snapped his neck. He quietly moved the body out of sight into the trees.

Klaus flashed from behind the tree to the front door. He braced himself and kicked the door down. The sudden presence of the hybrid sent those in sight running for the back, only to confront Elijah as he stepped in the house. Klaus flashed and threw a punch, sending one flying into the wall. A vampire quickly tried to escape around Elijah, who just reached for his heart. The body fell to the floor as Elijah tossed the bloody heart and then reached to snap the neck of one closest to him.

One tried to escape through the window, but Klaus flashed in front of him. He picked him up by the throat and slammed him against the wall to hold him there. Klaus looked around the room and saw Diego attempting to run upstairs. Elijah flashed and grabbed him before he could reach the stairs. Elijah dragged him to the center of the room to face Klaus, who snapped the neck of the one he was holding and watched the body drop to the floor.

Klaus let the silence thicken as he scanned the room. Besides Diego, there were over fifteen vampires that now stood still waiting for the hybrid to make his move. Klaus slowly stepped forward to face Diego as the others looked on. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a few trying to edge their way out the front door. "If you run, I will make it much worse for you." They thought better of it and froze, their breath stopping as they awaited their fate. Klaus decided to make an example out of Diego, to show what would happen to those who question his authority.

"The witches of New Orleans are under my protection now. If you attack them, you attack me." Klaus walked in a circle around Diego, like a snake preparing to strike. "I hear they're following your orders." He stopped again to face Diego, noticing the fear settling into his eyes. "It's good to know who to kill." Klaus thrust his hand through Diego's chest and tore his heart out. The body fell to the floor as Klaus, still holding Diego's bloody heart, scanned the group. "Anyone else what to be a leader?" They all shook their heads, fear radiating through them. Klaus tossed the heart and accepted the handkerchief from Elijah.

Klaus looked at every face as he made a decision. "You have two choices, leave town or follow my orders. If I have to come back, I will have all your hearts." He let the words settle before he nodded to Elijah and walked out the door. He figured the fear he had installed would be enough, he didn't need to kill all of them and they might be of use one day. Fear, as well as gratitude could create loyalty.

Elijah strolled with his brother. "I'm surprised you didn't kill all of them."

Klaus shrugged. "Diego was the one pushing them, showing them what I do to those who threaten my leadership was enough. That should take care of them until I get back and I'll keep my eye on them."

"Haley's about to give birth, Klaus, maybe I should go instead." Elijah said, looking over at Klaus.

Klaus stopped and eyed Elijah with suspicion. "Is there a reason why you don't want me to go to Mystic Falls?" This was twice now, Elijah had tried to stop him from leaving. Klaus noted that Elijah was having a hard time meeting his eyes.

Finally, Elijah sighed as he faced his brother. "Katrina was forced to take the cure. She's human."

Klaus eyebrows raised in surprise and he started to smile. His smile grew as the news registered, then he started laughing out loud. Klaus couldn't stop as Elijah looked on, shaking his head at Klaus.

"Who forced the cure down her throat?" Klaus asked, still snickering.

"Elena." Elijah turned away as his answer sent Klaus laughing again. "I'm glad you can find enjoyment in Katrina's misery."

"She turned herself into a vampire to keep me from breaking the curse, so yeah, there's amusement." Klaus said, smiling as they continued walking. "So, why am I just hearing this now?" He tried to feel anger that Elijah had deceived him, but he couldn't stop smiling at Katrina's situation.

"Can you blame me, Niklaus? I can't trust you with Katrina's life, are you really surprised that I wouldn't tell you that she's human?" Elijah asked. "This obsession you have with building an army, her life means nothing to you but it does to me."

Klaus grew quiet at the thought of getting another chance to create an army. Now that he had control of the city, he needed that army more than ever and Ester would always be a threat. The possibility of obtaining his goal was there for the taking. Seeing the calculation in his brother's eyes, Elijah stopped him with frustration as he placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Put yourself in my shoes, Niklaus. What if it was Caroline's blood that was needed to create your army? Her life at risk everyday, just to protect yourself."

"You're reaching, Elijah. Her life wouldn't be at risk, I would just need her blood." Klaus said, waving his hand at Elijah's concern.

"That's not the point. What if someone was using Caroline to get what they wanted? You would rip their heart out if anyone tried to hurt Caroline. Look at what you were going to do before, drop everything because she was in danger. You've put her needs first and you're willing to put your life in danger to protect her. I would do the same for Katrina, but I have always put the safety of my family first, standing with you over her every time. Now I need that from you. I need you to choose the wishes of your family over you own desires." Elijah implored.

Klaus looked in his brother's eyes as he listened. He could almost see a mirror image of his own emotions, the fear for her life, the regret in their situation, and the love that he had for her. He understood now, all that Elijah had sacrificed for him. And he had repaid him with betrayal, stabbed him to protect his secret of killing Ester. Klaus weighed his options, the chance of building his army or the chance to have his brother's trust again. He rolled his eyes. "Fine, I won't use her blood."

"Will you protect her, Niklaus?" Elijah asked, with caution.

Klaus drew back in disgust. "You're asking for too much, brother."

Elijah sighed with impatience. "Please, Niklaus? She's human, she can easily be killed."

Klaus growled at the injustice. It was one thing to not use her blood, but to now have to protect the woman that has caused him so many problems disgusted him. "Fine." He snapped, walking away.

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Elijah and Klaus walked to the house, both deep in thought. Just as he was about to enter the house, he turned his head and saw Athena standing across the street. He stopped Elijah and waited for Athena to cross the street.

Athena smiled as she came closer. "I'm glad you made the right choice. I no longer sense a threat to the witches, you're pretty good."

"You keep giving out compliments, it's going to go to my head. Elijah, this is Athena, a witch who gave me some advice earlier. This is my brother, Elijah." Klaus said, introducing the two. Elijah nodded in greeting as he inspected Athena.

Klaus turned back to the witch. "I'm leaving but if there's a problem, come to Elijah, he can handle it."

Athena nodded. "The danger is still surrounding your friend, I understand. There's something else you need to know. Your child will link the supernatural elements when it's born."

Klaus looked in her eyes with surprise at her knowledge of the child. Elijah moved closer with concern at how much the witch knew. Klaus met Elijah's eye before turning back. "What do you mean?"

"The werewolves would welcome your child in honor, the product of a vampire and a werewolf would link the two supernatural sides. And with the loyalty of the witches, the city would be fully under your control." She handed a piece of paper to Elijah. "Call me when she's about to give birth, I can help." Athena smiled with relief before walking away. Klaus watched, thinking of all that she had told him. For the first time, he could see an advantage of having the child.

Klaus turned to walk in the house. "Call me if there's any problems."

With the sun finally starting to set, Klaus left for Mystic Falls, relaxed and lighthearted for the first time in months because he knew he would be with Caroline soon.

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**Mystic Falls**

As darkness begin to fall, the house was quiet as everyone settled in the living room to discuss what to do next. All heads turned as Katherine walked in with Stefan. Elena and Katherine eyed each other with disdain as Katherine took a seat. Stefan and Caroline looked on with caution at the hate on display, but we didn't have time to deal with the petty drama. They needed a plan, any plan to trap Silas long enough for Bonnie to do the spell. Silas was strong, stronger than any vampire in the room. He was fast, quick as lightening and Bonnie seemed to be the only one who could slow him down.

Damon rubbed Elena's shoulder to calm her down, Stefan looked away in pain at the gesture. Stefan cleared his throat. "We need to find a way to trap him, give Bonnie enough time to turn him into stone."

Jeremy nodded after listening to Bonnie. "She said she doesn't need much time, but he's pretty fast and now he knows what Bonnie's trying to do. It won't be easy to fool him." They were all in agreement, they had played their hand and Silas would know what was coming.

Caroline was about to tell everyone about the witches that were on their way, when there was a knock at the door. Damon opened it to find three women standing in the doorway.

Sophie looked over his shoulder to see Caroline walking towards them. "Hi, Caroline. We're here to help."


	6. Chapter 6

**I don't own anything TVD or TO related.**

**Thank you to all who read and reviewed (as well as favorite and followed).**

**Happy Reading!**

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**Chapter 6**

**Mystic Falls**

Damon turned to Caroline with confusion as the three women stepped in the house. Caroline gave a smile of hello to them, happy to see her past kidnappers. Sophie came closer and gave Caroline a hug. "That's from Davina, her and Justine miss you." Ebony and Jasmine smiled back at Caroline as Sophie stepped away. They scanned the room as they entered, taking in everyone that was staring back and forth at the women and Caroline. Jeremy and Tyler stopped working as the strangers were led into the living room by Caroline. Rebekah gave a small laugh when she saw who was with her. "He didn't take long, did he?"

Stefan gave Caroline a searching look. "What's going on?"

"This is Sophie and her coven, Jasmine and Ebony. Klaus sent them." Caroline said, bracing for the backlash that was sure to come. Katherine gave a small twitch of fear as Klaus's name was brought up. Caroline couldn't really blame her since she spent so many years on the run from him.

"Klaus? What the hell does he want?" Damon asked, moving back to the living room to face the women with suspicion.

Sophie looked around at the mansion before turning back to Damon. "Klaus wants to make sure Caroline is safe. We're here to protect her."

Tyler gritted his teeth at the news. "We can protect Caroline ourselves." He turned with surprise to face Caroline when she started shaking her head, trying to explain but before she could speak, Damon decided to put in his two cents worth. Caroline sighed heavily, wishing that they would listen for a minute.

"We don't need Klaus's hired help." Damon scoffed. Jasmine slowly turned to Caroline, mouthing 'hired help' before she turned back to glare at Damon. Caroline shook her head again, rolling her eyes from Jasmine to Damon, conveying her silent frustration. Jeremy turned away from the wall after listening for a moment to look at Damon. "Bonnie said we can trust them."

Sophie gave a half-smile as she swept the room with another look. "Hey, Bonnie."

Damon folded his arms. "I don't trust anyone that I don't know, especially someone who has ties to Klaus. We don't need strangers running around town."

Jasmine snorted. "Well, if you had taken care of Silas, we wouldn't need to be here." Damon's lips tightened with anger at the jab. "We're assigned to protect Caroline, her mother and Rebekah, we don't need your permission." Rebekah looked a little shocked that Klaus had included her.

Damon took a step forward. "You definitely need my approval if you're going to be in my town."

Jasmine tilted her head to the side and laughed. "I don't need a vampire's approval to do anything. We're staying with Caroline and I'd like to see you try to stop us." She brushed her hair, as red as her temper, over her shoulder before putting her hands on her hips in deviance. Caroline had a feeling Damon and Jasmine were not going to get along.

Damon looked her up and down. "You obviously don't know me if you think I'm going to let you walk in my house and take over. You need to be taught some manners." Caroline could see it coming, Damon's impulse was worse than Klaus's sometimes. Stefan tried to reason with his brother. "Damon, let's hear what they have to say."

Caroline also tried, knowing that Jasmine wasn't one to mess with. "Damon, I wouldn't do that." And of course, he didn't listen. Damon flashed to Jasmine, who threw up her hand and knocked him back into the wall to hold him there. She used more force than was necessary, insulted by his earlier comment. She smirked as he tried to move or talk against the force. Stefan raised his eyebrows with a touch of amusement as Damon struggled with Jasmine's hold. Elena growled and took a step towards Jasmine, but Ebony moved forward and put her hands out, revealing flames coming from her palms. "You might want to rethink that." Elena stopped in her tracks, looking at the flames that could do some damage. Besides Rebekah, who knew what the witches were capable of, everyone else were now looking at the strangers with a new found respect, even Tyler. Silence fell over the room as we all waited to see what would happen next. Caroline figured she should act before things escalated even more.

Caroline moved to Jasmine's side and touched her arm, silently asking her to hold on to her temper. "It's okay. He's asshole sometimes, but he's not a problem." Jasmine eyed Damon and released her hold, letting him fall to floor as he gasped for breath. He got to his feet, glaring at Jasmine, who gave a small chuckle. "Like I said, we don't need your permission." Caroline cleared her throat to garner everyone's attention. "They're also here to protect my mom. I was about to tell everyone, but I didn't get a chance with everything that was going on." Damon was still glaring at Jasmine, but he was smart enough this time to keep his distance.

Tyler narrowed his eyes as he stepped closer. "We don't need his help, Caroline." He tried to continue, but Caroline interrupted him. "Yes, we do. My mother's in danger and Silas is too powerful. I want Klaus to help." She wasn't going to let anyone's pride or feelings get in the way of protecting her mother. Tyler stared at Caroline, angry and hurt that she was accepting Klaus's help. Sophie, Ebony and Jasmine looked uncomfortable at the tension in the room.

Tyler was angry now, wait till he found out the rest, Caroline thought. She decided to get it all out. "Klaus is also on his way here, I tried to tell him that we could handle it but he wouldn't listen." As soon as the words came out, there was a collective groan that filled the room. Tyler moved away in disgust, not even wanting to look at Caroline anymore. Katherine, suddenly filled with sheer terror, jumped up as if she was going to take off running. Stefan grabbed her arm to sit her back down. "I'll protect you, it's going to be okay." Elena stared at Stefan in shock and pain as he rubbed Katherine's arm to ease her fear. Caroline was guessing that Elena was coming to grips that Stefan wasn't going to put her before everybody else anymore.

Damon threw up his hands with frustration. "We just got rid of him, what the hell?" Caroline crossed her arms, insulted on Klaus's behalf. Damon wasn't so eager to get rid of Klaus when he needed his blood to save his or Elena's life when they were dying from a werewolf bite. Caroline couldn't say much because she had used Klaus in the past herself, but now as his friend, she didn't feel comfortable with it anymore.

"Klaus already knew Caroline was in danger before she even talked to him. He wouldn't just sit back and do nothing." Rebekah said. Caroline wondered how Klaus knew, but before she could question Rebekah further, Jasmine interrupted. "Let's just skip the mellow drama and deal with Silas. What's the plan to take care of him?" The witches looked at the everyone as they all were quiet. Sophie's eyebrows raised in reaction. "You do have a plan, don't you?"

"That's what we were trying to do before you all rudely interrupted." Damon spat out, his pride having taken a hit. Stefan stepped forward to keep what little peace there was. "What do you know about Silas?"

Jasmine waved her hand, wanting him to skip that part. "We know how powerful he is, that he can read minds and appear as anyone." Jasmine came from an ancient witchcraft family, there had been rumors of Silas passed down.

Stefan nodded, deciding to let them in on the important parts. "What you probably don't know is that I'm Silas's doppelganger." Sophie exchanged looks of concern with her coven as Stefan continued. "He tries to impersonate me to get close to the people I care about. He's getting a thrill out of making my life miserable, like keeping me locked in a safe at the bottom of a river wasn't enough." Stefan bitterly shared.

Sophie's eyes softened with compassion as Stefan told his story. The experience that she had with her sister being held captive for years led her to sympathize with Stefan. Even Jasmine, who never had good things to say about vampires, looked as if she felt sorry for Stefan.

"We were trying to figure a way to trap him and give Bonnie enough time to entomb him." Stefan finished.

"I think we should handle this ourselves. No offense, but Klaus hasn't given us much reason to trust him." Elena said dismissively.

"Handling it ourselves hasn't given us much success. I trust Klaus and Sophie's coven." Caroline argued. "In New Orleans, they were there for me-"

"Didn't they kidnap you?" Elena asked with suspicion.

Jasmine stared Elena down. "There was a reason behind that. Caroline and Bonnie know why we did it and they still helped us. We're staying to protect Caroline, whether you like it or not." Caroline wasn't going to debate this anymore. If they didn't want to accept Caroline's faith in the witches, that's fine, but Sophie was willing to help and that's all that mattered to her.

Caroline stepped to Sophie. "We need to get to my mother before Silas tries anything else." Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Damon and Elena lock eyes to shake their head, definitely not in agreement. Tyler was standing by the window, ignoring the conversation. Caroline was disappointed in his attitude, he didn't have to like her decision, but he could at least support her.

"Caroline, we need to talk." Tyler said, turning back to the conversation.

Tyler was livid, anyone could see that as we left the room to gain what privacy we could. Caroline could understand, but she didn't feel she had much choice. If she didn't accept Sophie's help and something happened to her mother, she would never forgive herself.

"So, let me get this straight, you won't leave with me, but you'll accept Klaus's help?" Tyler couldn't get pass that, not that Caroline could blame him. But Caroline wasn't going to let his feelings come before protecting the people she cared about, even those that didn't want it.

"I'm not asking you to like this, but just trust me, this is the best way." Caroline said, trying to reason with him.

"Klaus in our lives is never the best way, Caroline. I thought you knew that. Every time he get's involved, it's worse off for the rest of us." Tyler scoffed. Caroline looked down in regret, that's something she used to believe. But she no longer felt that after everything he had done for her. Klaus made her stronger, more confident in her decisions. She trusted her instincts and everything in her was screaming that she was right to do it.

"I'm sorry you don't agree, but I'm going to let Sophie help." Caroline's last words sealed it as she stared hard in Tyler's eyes, not giving an inch. Caroline couldn't help but compare the two situations. Tyler had trusted Haley, to his own downfall, but he questioned Caroline's decisions a lot more than she liked. Even with Klaus involved, she wished Tyler would have more faith in her.

"No matter how I feel about it?" Tyler asked. Caroline nodded, sad that this was coming between them. Tyler and Caroline were on opposite sides of this debate and neither one was going to give. Elena came in the room and broke the ice.

"Caroline, how could you let these strangers come in and treat Damon that way?" Elena demanded. Caroline gave a roll of the eyes, as usual Elena's main thoughts were about herself. Caroline threw up her hands. "Maybe because he wouldn't listen, I guess next time he will." Caroline walked out, leaving Elena and Tyler to think what they want. As Caroline prepared to leave with Sophie and the others, Stefan offered to go with them. Katherine panicked but was put at ease with Damon's promise to Stefan to look out for her. Elena glared at Damon after he nodded at Stefan's request.

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The town square was quiet as we walked to the sheriff's office. Sophie assigned Ebony to guard her mother while and she and Jasmine would stay with Caroline. Liz was at her desk when the group walked in with Caroline leading the way.

"Who told you that I was a vampire?" Caroline asked as soon as she stepped in the room.

"Matt." Liz answered immediately, while looking at the three women with Stefan and her daughter. Her mother was obviously nervous with strangers at such a difficult time, but hopefully she would trust Caroline's faith in Sophie and her coven.

"Mom, this is Sophie, Jasmine and Ebony. They're here to help. Ebony is going to stay with you until Silas is taken care of." Caroline introduced hesitantly, worried about her mother's reaction.

Liz nodded after a moment before stepping forward. "It's nice to meet you. Thanks for helping." Caroline breathed with relief, at least one person wasn't being difficult. Caroline and her mother have had problems before, but Liz tried to support Caroline most of the time. Finding out that your only daughter was a vampire couldn't have been easy, but her mother surprised her with her acceptance after a little time. Sophie gave some last minute instruction to Ebony before we left.

As we walked back the way we came, Stefan suggested we take Sophie and Jasmine to the Grill before going back to the house. Caroline had a feeling Stefan wanted to avoid being around Damon and Elena as much as possible. As his friend, Caroline wanted to help Stefan as much as she could. Stefan had done so much for her, she wanted to return the favor.

We choose a table, ordered dinner and made small talk while we waited. Now that Caroline was actually able to talk to Sophie and Jasmine, she discovered it was pretty easy to do. Jasmine and Sophie didn't seem uncomfortable around Stefan, almost as relaxed as they were with Caroline.

"Well, your friends didn't leave us with a good first impression." Jasmine, in her straight forward way. Caroline nodded. "Sorry about that, they're just kind of uptight right now with everything going on." Jasmine snorted. "We are here to help, they could be a little more appreciative. And what's up with the asshole?"

Caroline had just taken a drink and almost choked as she tried to keep from laughing. Stefan smiled. "You mean my brother?" Jasmine drew back in surprise. "He's your brother? What, did the nice genes just get passed down to you?" Stefan let out a laugh, his first real one in a long time. Caroline smiled, glad to hear it again after everything he had been through.

Caroline shook her head, she had forgotten subtle wasn't really in Jasmine's vocabulary. Sophie held up a hand. "Jasmine." She said in a tone of warning before turning to Stefan. "Sorry, she didn't mean any harm." Jasmine mumbled softly. "Yes, I did." We all gave a short laugh in response.

Stefan, with amusement. "Damon doesn't trust too easily, but he's not bad." This time, Caroline mumbled. "Sometimes." Stefan tried again to keep the peace. "I guess I should say he's not bad when he wants to be, but he's just trying to protect me and Elena." His tone changed at the end, still in pain for all to see. Sophie and Jasmine caught it and looked at Caroline, who was staring at Stefan remorsefully.

Jasmine, the not so subtle one. "Oh, don't tell me she's been with both of you." Sophie smacked her arm with frustration. Stefan winced, answering her question. Jasmine shook her head in disbelief. "Jeez, after meeting you all, I don't feel so bad about my life." Sophie interrupted, with a glare Jasmine's way. "So, we've heard so many rumors about Mystic Falls, are most of them true?" Sophie received a grateful glance from Stefan as she changed the subject. The conversation moved to a happier one as they finished their dinner. Sophie and Stefan dived into some history of the town, something Sophie really seemed interested in. We were distracted as we left, in a good mood as Stefan and I enjoyed Jasmine and Sophie's company. Such a good mood that we didn't notice the figure standing in the middle of the street, directly in our path. Stefan noticed first, putting his arm in front of us to stop our progress.

The figure turned with the light from the moon shining down, capturing the beauty. A cry of surprise was torn from Sophie as she recognized the person, now smiling with joy at the group. It was Lucy. Caroline was frozen in shock, before she snapped out it, feeling anger at the low Silas would go to. It wasn't her, she was dead. She had been killed months ago in New Orleans.

"Lucy?" Sophie softly asked. Jasmine grabbed Sophie's arm to bring her back to reality. Sophie took a step away as she realized what was going on. Silas was playing his game, messing with their emotions. Jasmine, her jaw tightened with pain, started to pull her hand up as Lucy smiled in her sweet way.

"You want to hurt me, Jasmine?" Lucy/Silas asked. "I thought we were closer than that." The softness, that trademark of Lucy's was there for all to see. Everything was the same. Her blond curly hair, the friendly aura she used to shine with, even the clothes she wore the day she died. It was as if Silas had pulled the last memory we had of her from our consciousness. Stefan bared his teeth, sick of Silas's games. He flashed to attack, but Lucy/Silas moved quickly, still smiling. Jasmine put her palm out but Silas moved again to dodge Jasmine's attack this time.

Sophie, with tears glistering, stared hard Silas's way. Lucy/Silas grabbed her head in pain, but it didn't last as she shook it off. "I've been around a lot longer than you, that's not going to work." The words were barely out of her mouth before Jasmine stepped forward with both hands directed at Lucy/Silas. The force threw her away but she recovered quickly with a smirk. "I'll be seeing you." We blinked and the street was empty. They looked around at the quiet night, still shaken by the encounter. Caroline got the feeling Silas hadn't been there to attack but to see how much power the witches had. Jasmine put her arm around Sophie's shoulder as they both stared into the dark, missing their real friend.


	7. Chapter 7

**I don't own anything TVD or TO related.**

**Thank you to all who read and review (as well as favorite and followed).**

**Happy Reading!**

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**Chapter 7**

Caroline felt like she had just went to bed when the sunlight woke her. The brightness was almost painful to her eyes as she opened them. They were probably bloodshot considering she had only a couple hours of sleep. Wanting to pull the covers over her head and let the problems of the day get resolved without her was so tempting. One day she wanted to wake up and not feel the weight of the world on her shoulders. To hell with it, she thought as she pulled herself out of bed to face the day. She had to look at the bright side, if there was one. Her mother was safe for now, Sophie was here with her coven to give what help they could and no one had died or been tortured yet. Caroline couldn't ask for more than that considering her history. As she walked down the stairs, she could hear two voices arguing in the living room. Elena and Rebekah got along when Elena had been turned into a vampire, but it looked as if that was over. Sophie and Jasmine were sitting with them eating breakfast at the table, glancing back and forth in amusement at the battle unfolding before them.

Caroline sat down next to Sophie. "What's wrong now?" Not having enough sleep to really care, she started buttering her toast.

Elena turned to Caroline. "What's wrong is allowing strangers to stay here with Silas terrorizing us, as well as Klaus coming back to Mystic Falls." Caroline stared at Elena, losing the patience she really didn't have to begin with.

"So, it's okay for Klaus to come and save Damon's life, but when he wants to protect me, it's a problem?" Caroline asked.

"Caroline, you know how Klaus is, he always has a reason for doing things. Just because he did one nice thing for Damon, it doesn't mean he's changed." Elena implored. Caroline snorted in disbelief. "I remember that was the same thing I said to you about Damon and after everything he did to us, you still chose to be with him." Elena started to respond, but Jasmine wondered out loud. "What did he do?"

Elena snapped. "Let's stick to the problem at hand." Elena took a breath before she turned back to Sophie and Jasmine. "Caroline may trust you, but the rest of us don't. How do we know you won't stab us in the back?" Elena asked, not holding back her suspicions. Jasmine glared at Elena, stroking her butter knife. Caroline figured she was thinking about where she wanted that knife to go. Sophie cleared her throat, trying to get Jasmine's attention to avoid any blood on the breakfast table.

"Oh, the irony." Rebekah said as she examined her nails.

Elena grimaced as she replayed her words in her head. "When it came down to it, you wouldn't have betrayed Klaus. I only did it because we wanted everything to go as planned."

Rebekah nodded sarcastically. "Yes, the ends always justified the means with you, Elena, no matter who gets stepped on in the process. You're not any better than Nik."

Elena moved closer to Caroline, ignoring Rebekah. "Have you forgotten everything Klaus did to us? He killed Jenna and what about Tyler? He killed Tyler's mother, Caroline, remember? How can you trust him after everything he's done?"

Rebekah clenched her fists, livid. "And yet, you conveniently forget all that when you need Nik to save Damon's life." Jasmine and Sophie were quiet, sitting back enjoying the show that Elena and Rebekah were putting on.

"You and Klaus are not even speaking." Elena countered, throwing her hand out to Rebekah to prove her point. "You moved out because of what he did to you. He killed your own mother and lied about it. I was the one who told you the truth-"

"And then proceeded to stab me in the back." Rebekah interrupted with a harsh laugh. "You're so quick to point to Nik about what he's done, what's your excuse for killing my brothers? Finn wasn't a threat to you and considering the mess we're in, Kol was right to try to stop us from going after the cure." Rebekah moved to enter Elena's space, staring hard in her eyes. "My family will fight to protect ourselves and we're not going to apologize for it, just like you."

"Enough!" Caroline growled as she threw down her food, fed up. Elena and Rebekah, surprised by her tone, both turned to her. "We all have done wrong in the name of survival." Caroline stood up and faced Elena, putting her hands together as if in prayer, trying to stay calm. "Look, I trust Klaus and you don't have to agree with it, just like I don't understand the faith you have in Damon. But I have accepted your relationship with him, even though I don't like it. But I'm not some blond ditz, who needs her friends to make her decisions for her. Klaus is a friend who's been there for me and I'm going to accept his help." Caroline confirmed, much to the disbelief of Elena and the pride of Rebekah. She was tired of everybody calling Klaus evil while they excuse their own behavior.

Caroline exhaled her frustration as she looked around. "Where is everybody?" Elena huffed and threw up her hands as Caroline moved the conversation to a safer one.

Rebekah responded, smirking at Elena. "Stefan had to hunt and Damon went with him for protection. Tyler and Matt needed fresh clothes, so Jeremy decided to go with them. Katherine's still in bed or hiding since Nik is on his way."

"Did my mom already leave for the station?" Caroline asked Sophie, who nodded in response. "She left early this morning. Ebony is with her." Caroline was relieved that there was one less thing to worry about, now they could focus on taking care of Silas. We still hadn't come up with realistic plan to trap him.

"Are you guys okay? I imagine last night was hard." Caroline asked, sitting back down to finish her breakfast, hoping that would be end of the arguing for now. When they had seen Lucy, even though it hadn't been her, had to have brought the memories of their friend back to forefront.

"For just a second, I thought it was her." Sophie said, her eyes filled with regret. Along with the pain, the guilt was always there underneath. At least Ebony hadn't been there to see Silas impersonate Lucy, she blamed herself more than Sophie did.

Caroline wished she had better prepared them for what Silas was capable of. He had played the same game with her when he had been searching for Bonnie, terrorizing her through the woods with Klaus and Matt. He had created a hell on earth before trying to kill her mother. She, better than anyone, knew how convincing Silas could be. The knock at the front door interrupted her thoughts. Caroline glanced at the time and had a feeling who was here. "I'll get it, I think I know who that is."

When she opened it, Klaus was relaxed against the doorway, dressed in all black. The high cheekbones and his full lips were complimented by the black. It made him look devilish and Caroline had to admit, sexy. He smiled, happy to see her. As she met his eyes, she wanted to return his smile, but she was cautious after last night. "On our only date, what did you steal of mine and read to me?" Klaus was confused by the question, but he recovered quickly. "Your Miss Mystic Falls application." She nodded as she felt the tension leave, believing that it was really him.

Caroline stepped back, sweeping her hand to invite him in. Klaus shook his head as he entered the house, amused. "More than just a pretty face." She smiled, realizing that she had missed him. Caroline tilted her head, wondering. "You never did tell me how you got my application." Klaus rocked back on his heels, pleased with himself. "I have my ways. I just wanted to know more about you. I'm glad I did, the look on your face was priceless. It was the first time you really laughed with me." They shared a smile, remembering the day. Caroline had been surprised that she actually had fun with him. If only things hadn't gone to hell soon after. She sobered as the memories of what happened next came to her. Caroline was happy to see Klaus, but she couldn't help herself, she was concerned about how Tyler would feel.

Klaus noticed, sighing. "I'm not here to cause problems." Caroline raised a eyebrow in disbelief. "Really, I will be on my best behavior. Scout's honor." He said, holding up a hand, trying to look as innocent as he could.

Caroline snickered. "Like you were ever a Boy Scout." Whenever she was around Klaus, she felt lighter, more at ease. She didn't understand it half the time, how the person who's caused so much damage can make her feel at peace when he was around.

Klaus moved closer, wanting to inhale her scent. He looked deep in her eyes, almost getting lost. "I promise not to make this harder for you than it already is. I just want to make sure you're safe." Caroline had to remember to breath. She escaped his eyes as she was almost hypnotized. She did believe that he was here with good intentions, but his presence was going to be an impact. That was something that couldn't be avoided. They stood by the door, taking a moment to enjoy each others company after a long absence.

Caroline smiled. "Thank you for sending help for my mother and I am happy you're here." Klaus couldn't help himself, he reached to give a small stroke of her cheek. "Not as happy as I am. I'm glad I could help."

Caroline sighed as traces of desire were left by his small touch. She shook her head to clear it, feeling like she had to prepare him for what he was about to face. "Tyler's going to be here soon and he's pretty angry right now." With everything that was going on, she hadn't had time to think of Tyler's demand for her to choose between him and Klaus. How does she make that choice without hurting someone?

"As long as he doesn't try to kill me again, we'll be just fine." Klaus said, folding his hands behind his back to avoid touching her again. He had to fight hard not to give into the temptation that she created.

"I don't think it will ever be 'fine' between you and Tyler. But if it could get to a point where you're not trying to murder each other, I would consider that a win."

Klaus arched an eyebrow, highly doubting that would happen, but he didn't want to dash her hopes.

She didn't see how this was going to end well, Caroline thought as she led him to the living room, resigned to whatever came next.

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As they entered the room, Caroline noticed Elena was giving her a searching look. She figured Elena had been listening to the conversation, which was probably going to lead to more questions asked when Elena got the chance. Sophie and Jasmine stood up from the table when they saw us come in. Rebekah crossed her arms as Klaus met her eyes. The tension between the siblings had gotten better, but it was still there.

"Hello, Nik" Rebekah said as she came closer.

"Rebekah." Klaus responded. "How's the boyfriend?" He smirked as Rebekah rolled her eyes at him. Although he would never admit it, he missed his sister. Besides the years when he had her in a box, Rebekah had been the only one that had stood by him. He didn't know how to fix it though, he wasn't that big on apologizing even when he was in the wrong. Elena stood up, drawing his attention. "Hello, Elena. How's Stefan or is it Damon still?" Elena glared, not seeing the humor. Klaus grinned as Caroline smacked his arm. "Best behavior, remember?" Klaus shrugged. "That Boy Scout thing takes some getting used to."

"How's Davina and the others?" Sophie asked. She was still not comfortable with being away from her sister.

"They're fine. Elijah is keeping his eye on them. He'll call if there's a problem." Klaus moved to the bar and made himself a scotch. "So, with the Mystic Falls gang track record, I'm assuming Silas is still running around?"

Elena scoffed with disdain. "Like you really care about Silas. Why are you really here, Klaus?" Jasmine snorted with disgust. "You know, I'm thinking we should let her handle this on her own. Caroline can come back to New Orleans with us."

Klaus glanced at Caroline, who sighed with frustration. "That was my idea, but I doubt she'll leave. I'm here to make sure Caroline stays safe, Elena." He made himself comfortable on the couch. Elena crossed her arms as she moved closer. "You sent your powerful friends and came all this way just to protect Caroline? From your track record, that's a little hard to believe."

He smirked before taking a drink. "I personally don't care what you believe. I'm going to be here until Caroline is out of danger, so if you want me gone, I suggest you focus on Silas." Klaus picked up the familiar scent as he turned his head towards the stairs. "Katrina, I heard the distressing news." A small gasp came from the top of the stairs. Caroline followed his gaze and could see Katherine hiding around the corner at the top of the stairs, listening to the conversation. She could see the fear in her eyes as Katherine moved to the stairs. Caroline had a feeling she had been trying to sneak out of the house. For the first time, a smile of triumph spread across Elena's face as Katherine's misery was increased.

Klaus stood up to set down his drink and approach Katherine, who was trying to put on a brave face. "Come closer, I want to see for myself." He waved his hand, wanting her to come down the stairs. He took note of the heartbeat, the flush of her cheeks and the scent of blood running through her veins.

"Well, if there's one good thing about you being here, it's taking Katherine and draining her blood like you did me." Elena said with disdain. Katherine's hate-filled eyes swung Elena's way as she moved down the stairs, trembling with fear at Klaus's presence. Caroline didn't know if she felt comfortable with this. Yes, Katherine deserved to feel misery, but Caroline knew what it was liked to be used and she wouldn't wish it upon her worst enemy.

"Sorry to disappoint you, Elena." Klaus smirked at Katherine's fear, thinking that was enough revenge. "But I won't be using her blood." Katherine's head turned fast, meeting Klaus's eyes. "What did you say?" Her voice was almost lost in Elena, Caroline, and Rebekah's "What?" Klaus picked his drink back up and sat back down on the couch.

Elena glanced at Katherine's shocked expression. "Why not?" Elena strutted. "Are you joking? You need her blood to make an army."

"I did, but Elijah was concerned and asked that I don't do it." Klaus noticed Katherine's face soften as Elijah's name was brought up. "For my brother, I'll let it go." Rebekah and Caroline exchanged surprised looks while Elena seemed to be filled with rage.

"I told Elijah I would look out for you, so stay in the house. You don't leave with anyone but me, understand?"

Katherine nodded hesitantly, still unsure. Elena grabbed her head in frustration, almost ready to pull her hair out."This has got to be a nightmare." Klaus gave a small chuckle as Caroline, once again, stared at Klaus like she had never seen him before. The door opened, interrupting the moment.

"Making yourself at home, I see." Damon said as he walked in the room with Stefan following behind him.

Klaus saluted Damon with his drink. "The Salvatore brothers, how nice to see you again."

"Too bad we can't say the same." Damon snarled. Klaus laughed in response. "I'll remember that the next time you need my blood." Damon glared, but what could he say? That was twice now that Klaus had given his blood to save his life. Knowing Damon's ability to find trouble, it probably wouldn't be the last. Stefan noticed Katherine's daze expression. "What did you say to her, Klaus?"

Klaus shrugged a shoulder, having fun. "Nothing. She's probably still in shock."

Stefan rubbed his hand on Katherine's arm, thinking he was easing her anxiety. "I won't let you hurt her." Klaus laughed as Elena curled her lip in disgust. "Ask her yourself. I'm not going hurt her." Klaus could see a spark of jealously in Elena's eyes as Stefan faced Katherine

"Elijah asked him to protect me. Klaus said he would." Katherine replied in wonder. Stefan glanced over his shoulder at Klaus with suspicion. "Really? You're not going to take her blood to create your hybrids?"

"I don't need those hybrids. I have all the help I need to protect my territory. I used kindness, forgiveness, and pity to get what I want." Klaus smiled at Caroline, who was trying to keep from returning it, but folded as she met his eyes. There was pride and joy for all to see on Caroline's face. Damon gagged as Klaus and Caroline's silent communication went on longer. "Why am I surprised? Caroline has a thing for werewolves who can kill her, she was never very smart." Stefan shook his head at Caroline, who exhaled, but choose to let it go. Elena crossed her arms as she continued to glare Katherine's way. Jasmine put her hands on her hips and exchanged looks of anger with Sophie.

Klaus looked at her friends as they said nothing and calmly set his drink back down. He flashed off the couch and threw Damon into the wall. Elena screamed. "Are you crazy? What are you doing?" She tried to move to Damon's side, but stopped as Klaus swung his head her way. Caroline looked to Rebekah, who shrugged a shoulder. "Klaus, don't. It's just Damon being Damon."

Klaus picked Damon up by the throat and held him against the wall. He stepped closer as he put his face an inch away from Damon's. "If I ever hear you disrespect her again, I will cause you so much pain. You will be begging me to rip out your heart when I'm done with you." He squeezed his throat harder as Damon gasped for breath. He slammed his head into the wall. "Do you understand me?" Damon tried to nod and failed, but eventually got it out. "Yes, fine." Klaus released him and stepped away as Elena flew to his side in concern. He faced Caroline to explain his outburst. "While I'm here, he will respect you. And it would be nice if your friends would demand the same." Klaus glared at Stefan and Elena to emphasize his point, walking out of the room to calm down as everyone watched in silence.

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**Sorry Damon fans, while I like Damon, I think he gets away with the insults that he throws Caroline's way and no one calls him out on it. Tyler and Klaus will come face to face in the next chapter. I'll update soon. Thanks for reading!**


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